God Save the Kingdoms
by oh so GR33K typing
Summary: 3 differently colored Navi-G blocks, each configuration specific to one controversial destination. The whole trio is involved, Kairi and Sora have officially gotten together --- but what happens when Riku falls for the princess, too?
1. Twilight: Chapter 1

**Authors Note: **This is named after Donald's and Goofy's strongest weapons from the second game because I couldn't think of anything better. You know, the one's you have to synthesize. :3 I honestly have no idea where this story is going, or what I'm planning to do, or who I want Kairi to end up with. So send me your input, I'd like to know what you think!

* * *

"_And our hearts will always be together.__  
Through the darkest night and brightest day,  
Our destinies have been intertwined  
and my future forever written with you.  
In any darkness you will be my light, Kairi.  
Love Forever,  
Sora"_

"What a wimp," huffed Riku, tossing the letter back at Kairi.

"Aw Riku, you're just jeeaallouuss." She joked after catching the letter, which was hazardously close to touching the ground. She danced in front of him to grab his cheeks playfully.

He swatted her away, agitated. "Am not."

"You so are," she laughed, but quickly stopped as Riku glared darkly at her, "You are." She shrugged, and crossed her arms, sending him a dark glare right back to illustrate her point, then sticking her tongue out childishly.

He shook his head and walked around her into Cid's shop, "Cid!"

"Riku, are you mad?"

"Cid, hey Cid!"

"Hellooo? What's the matter?" Kairi prodded, perplexed by Riku's sudden anger.

"Cid, where the fuck did you go?" he said, waving Kari off and turning his back to her, leaning both elbows on the sales counter.

"Riku, you know bad language is not allowed in my shop," growled Cid, as he hauled a large box full of who-knows-what's into the store front.

Riku grinned, "What about the fact you curse like a sailor?"

"As owner, I'm exempt." Cid looked up, grinning as well. He pulled the toothpick from his mouth and pointed at the box, "Hey you two kids; open this up for me and fix 'em up nice a top the fireplace?"

"Sure, Cid." Kairi smiled, walking over and bending down to rip open the box's four folds.

"Okay, but first I need some advice." Cid quickly glanced at Kairi, but Riku shook his head feverently, praying she didn't notice. "It's about my gummi ship."

"Ooooh, well, lay it on me." He said, looking both guilty and bummed at the same time.

"I have this broken block," he pulled out a big chunk of neon green gummi, then continued, "At least, I think it's broken. It won't fit in with the others, though it looks like it should. There aren't any cracks either; I've looked it over a few times. It just… won't stick."

"Are you sure it's even a gummi block?"

"What else would it be?"

"I don't know," scowled Cid, "Where'd you get it?" he questioned, taking the square shape from Riku's grasp, "It's not like a gummi block to be so inflexible. They usually mold to any ship, so long as there's enough space. "

"There's more than enough space. It doesn't stick or conform to anything. I just assumed it's broken."

"No, this ain't a gummi block. It can't be if it don't conform. Looks can be deceiving, kid," he looked at the block in his hand speculatively, then toddled to the store's back leaving the mysterious block behind.

"Not a gummi block?," chirped Kairi, sitting on the floor cross – legged sifting through the box's contents. "But Jiminy swore on his life it was a Navi-G piece, didn't he?"

"Yeah, well Jiminy swears his life on a lot of things."

"Usually, he's right, though." Kairi denounced, thinking back to all the times Jiminy and his experience had proven her wrong. "He has been everywhere. Anyways, Riku come look at this stuff. Its baby Cid!" she laughed, tossing a large picture frame at Riku. "Wasn't he adorable? He was a gummi block nerd even in his early years." She grinned widely and returned to unloading the box, infatuated by every new treasure she found.

Riku examined the aging black and white picture and smiled back at the baby. Cid must have been a year old and was chewing on a large, yellow Thundara-G gummi piece.

"I had a cute little smirk, didn't I?" rasped Cid who came back equipped with a Gummi Magnetism device and Microscope.

"The cutest." Kairi giggled. "Why do you have all this stuff out? I never took you for the sentimental type."

"Wellp, I had this bet with Yuffie that I lost," said Cid, positioning the gummi block under said microscope, and reconfiguring the Magnetism device.

"What was the bet?" inquired Riku who'd just placed the large picture in the middle of the fireplace's wooden top.

"I'll let her tell you that. It was rigged, I'm practically positive of it."

Riku laughed, "Of course, Cid."

"Don't sass me boy, I can refuse to fix this."

"You would never." Riku grinned, leaning coolly against the counter once again. "So what's the result, doc."

Cid grunted and 'hmmed' a few more moments, fiddling with the microscope button before turning the cube around in his palm and facing Riku. Kairi looked up curiously from the floor, after successfully emptying the box of Cid's fondest memories. "What you have here _is_ a gummi block, but it belongs to a very specific ship I don't know much about. Just heard of it in books and places. Random snippits of information. Don't even know if it's real." He grew quiet after that, so deep in thought Riku had to remind him to continue. "Three ships. I'm pretty sure only three ships have blocks configured like this." He relayed with confidence, "Three ships that fly to three different places. And. . . ehh. . . that's all I can remember. Sompin' about doors after that, but that's all I know." He shrugged, handing the unmoldable gummi block to Riku, who eyed it suspiciously.

"Do you know where we can find information on the three ships? Do they have names?" chimed in Kairi who'd joined Riku on the counter top.

Cid shrugged deplorably, "I only remember each ship comes from three different World's who used to rule over many worlds, known collectively as its kingdom. Those three ruling World's were a big factor in King Mickey's decision to disconnect the World's from each other. Ya know, lock the keyholes of those that were open way back when. The Kingdom's citizens were awfully oppressed, `sept the one World which ruled over its kingdom peacefully."

"They were CONNECTED?" Kairi questioned, wide eyed and leaning closer to Cid, hanging on every world. Riku, who was much more collected than Kairi, asked, "I thought no World's were supposed to know about each other. How did they find out about one another?"

"The Kingdoms knew about each other, but nothin' about anyone else. The story goes that they used to make up One World but some dark creature ripped them apart into… eighty – four or so?... little ones, and the three largest pieces of the broken World took over whatever smaller ones were nearby. They were constantly fighting for territory."

"A dark creature?" questioned Kairi.

"Sompin dark. Don't know if it was a creature, but it was something terrible. I don't remember how they got rid of it… or who did, either."

"Why were they fighting?" Riku inquired, a peculiar look on his face.

"One wanted to take over the other. Two disagreed with each other on _everything_. And all three wanted credit for eradicating said darkness, and blamed each other for who started it. Look you two, I can't remember much. All's I remember is each World made a ship for one reason or another. I don't know why they didn't make more than one ship each; I don't know why they all used the same basic configuration and system. All I know is that this block here is a navigation gummi and after King Mickey heard about there fighting he drove over there to fix everything, himself. If you want to know more, you'll have to ask him or take a trip to his library."

* * *

"Donaaalllldd! Donald Duck!" cried Sora, hands cupped around his mouth for the maximum echo effect. The deep cave shook at the sound of his voice, which bounced off every wall, entering every crevice. "Where did you go D?" Sora mumbled to himself, stumped. He'd been right beside Sora their whole day of excavation. They'd dug up a few artifacts and even an unusual gummi block or two. The most impressive relic they'd uncovered was a yellow diamond the size of Goofy's fist. Donald had identified a strange mystical energy emanating from the unusual stone; strange but harmless. Unfortunately, he'd wandered off after the analysis and was MIA at the moment.

Goofy's inimitable laugh rang through the cave and the voice echoed, "Aw Donald." Immediately after Donald's raspy laugh followed and Sora smiled; he knew they hadn't gone far.

He wondered over to their location via his two best companions' laughs, which still hung on the fissure walls. "What are you guys cracking up about?" he questioned, finding them in an area he had yet to explore.

"We found this, Sora." he said, waddling up to greet his spiky haired pal, too enthralled by the item to address Sora's question.

"King Mickey musta been here." informed goofy, straightening his arm to hold out a singular small pallid button, encrusted with three miniscule circles. Sora took a closer look and 'hah'ed at the symbols resemblance to Mickey Mouse, grabbing it from Goofy's hand for examination. No one could mistake those big ears for anyone else.

"Oh, cool. I wonder why he was here." Sora suddenly doubted his right to be here… he felt like an intruder. Was he not supposed to take things from the cave? Based off the enormous amount of items the trio had found, King Mickey obviously hadn't. He'd asked Tarzan and Jane if the intrusion was alright and they didn't seem to mind. And then, he experienced disappointment as his excitement for this cavern's investigation diminished. So, they hadn't been the first one to discover it? After a few more seconds of private deliberation, he realized King Mickey had been everywhere; Sora would probably never be as cultured or wise as him. He shrugged and handed the button back to Goofy. "We should return this to him. Maybe he'll even tell us this cave's story? I mean, the stuff we've got so far is pretty awesome. Especially, that jade heart and the ginormous yellow diamond. Kairi will be so impressed!" he smiled sincerely, practically skipping back to the clear water pool present at the cavern's center.

The pair chuckled again and Sora rolled their eyes at him, "What now, you two chuckleheads?" But, he was grinning nonetheless.

"Ooooh, nothing." smiled Goofy, a crooked gin adorning his lips.

"Yeah, not a thing." agreed Donald, looking awfully satisfied with himself.

"No really, what? You've been exchanging funny grins all week. Pleeaaaseee, let me in on the secret?" Sora begged, putting his hands together as if in prayer as he walked backwards.

The two just shook their heads and chuckled, speeding ahead of Sora. He spun around and chased after them, all three in an unannounced but completely official running race to the pool, where they're newly unearthed treasures were waiting.

* * *

Riku leaned tiredly against the shop's side wall and gazed solemnly at the sky; dusk was his favorite time of day. _I guess the urge for darkness has never really left me_. He reflected, sighing in regret as he revisited the memories of his many, many mistakes and weaknesses. But, somehow, he had ended up with everything he knew he didn't deserve. Two strong, brave, supporting long - time friends he could always trust, and would always love.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Kairi commented on the sky, it's orange and purple hues slowly phasing into a deeper rich navy blue, its colors blending faultlessly into one another, only to be broken up by wisps of stray gray cloud. It would be a peaceful night.

"Beautiful." he agreed, smiling easily at her. "My favorite time of day." He could just make out her petite, toned frame. Her soft burgundy hair coiled delicately in the almost nonexistent breeze as she joined her friend against the wall.

"How come?" she questioned curiously. She didn't have any particular reasons in mind; she just liked learning what made her friends happy. She always made an effort to remember, too.

He was silent for a moment, choosing only the most concise words, "Because, it reminds me that even something so beautiful fades, even leads, into darkness . . . only to be replaced by the next beautiful day, or the next beautiful dusk. Darkness doesn't last forever." He shook his head, realizing just how hopeful those words sounded, and how much about himself he'd just divulged. He was still struggling with his past, but he'd finally come to terms with it. And on this very night, next to Kairi, he'd allowed himself to hope.

She couldn't think of a proper response, nothing she said could match the power in his words. Nothing she said could really relay to him how happy she was to see him healing. He may not have realized it, but for the past year and three months after their battle with Xehanort, he'd been struggling to keep up with reality. She could sense him spacing out; she could see the guilt and shame he charged himself with; she could hear the self - deprecation in any reminiscent words. He may have given into darkness, but, in her opinion, it took even more strength to free himself from its grasp on his heart. "Or maybe it's just a different kind of beautiful. The kind of recurring beauty that never gives up, never backs down because it's just that powerful." Without a second thought she grabbed for his hand and held it firmly; absolutely. She would not let him or Sora out of her sights ever again.

He held on loosely for a moment, unsure about this physical contact. She may be oblivious to his suppressed feelings . . . he had tried to hide them for years, too, but now he had even more reason to keep his distance from Kairi. He couldn't help the emotional attachment that would always connect them, but physical, too? More so than it already was? He couldn't deny how attractive he thought she was, but he also couldn't interfere with Sora and Kari's current relationship. They were meant to be, they were made for each other. They deserved each other. Riku, on the other hand, deserved neither of them.

He looked up at her face, which even through the diminishing light he could see was stern and unwavering, as well as proud and serene. He tightened his grip on her smaller hand, interlocking their fingers; she was his friend. She would always be his friend, and that's what this interaction was. Completely friendly, almost sibling like.

She smiled brilliantly and Riku almost regretted the action. He was falling in love with this girl more and more each day and getting closer than he already was to her would only cause him trouble. But, he very well couldn't distance himself from her now. No, that was not even an option; he was already in too deep.


	2. Brain Freeze: Chapter 2

**Authors Note: **Sorry if it starts off slow, I need to set some things up and I want to establish the characters and what they're thinking before the action starts. It was very interesting to write. :3 Anything gummi block/kingdom related will be in the next chapter. And I think Riku and Kairi are too cute together. What do you think? Orrr should Kairi stay with the love struck Sora? (:

* * *

Kairi sat in the midst of her grandfather's library, completely absorbed in her research. Who was she before Paradise Islands? She remembered a grandmother, she recalled the large, castle terrace; she often dreamed of sitting there on her grandmother's lap. Who was her mother? Her father? How had she gotten all the way to another world if she was barely old enough to add two plus two? Had someone put her on a ship? The Destiny Island's mayor just said he'd found Kairi wandering around the marketplace, and then was duly adopted into the community shortly after.

She had never really bothered to ask questions about her past, even when others did. However, the closer to this castle she'd gotten, the faster she'd bonded with it. All the secret hallways, all the old architecture and art; the library was glorious and the view was unmatchable. She wondered what it was like; she wondered who had loved her then.

Not that she would _ever_ wish for a life other than the one she's been blessed with. Given, she may have liked to have kept her heart those few months Sora was saving the Worlds from heartless. She would have liked to been conscious, too. But, being a princess? Sora, becoming so strong and brave through his experience with the keyblade? All the companions she'd met on her travels? No, she wouldn't give that up for anything less than a friend's life; God forbid that ever happened.

She was in charge of _World Cooperation's_, checking in on one World a week to make sure everything was up to snuff and void of all heartless. Not to mention void of those pesterous Nobodies. She physically shivered at the thought. Then, the guilt overcame her. It wasn't like, a punch in the gut kind of guilt, it was the what – do – I – really – know? kind of guilt. It was the slow, kind of sad guilt. Nobodies were said not to have hearts, but what about the exceptions? What about Namine? What about Axel?

"_Maybe… waiting isn't good enough."_  
"_My thought's exactly! If you have a dream, don't wait. Act. One of life's little rules. Got it memorized?"_  
"_Who are you?"_  
"_Axel. I happen to be an acquaintance of Sora. Why don't we go see him?"_

_And then they came…. the gray snake- like strangers. A portal opened. An unfamiliar yellow dog urged me forward. A sense of security in all the confusion. Though, I couldn't figure out why. Big, black, ominous holes aren't usually inviting._

"_We've got something in common, Kairi. You and I both miss something we care about."  
_

At the time she didn't really understand, nor care why Axel kidnapped her. She was angry, she was lost. She was also to close to the problem to understand it in its entirety. Organization XIII. She would never condone their actions, never ever. However, why they did it was understandable. Their brain replayed foreign memories to them, but what would they mean if you couldn't feel them? If you couldn't feel what was happening? If you couldn't feel yourself feeling in that memory? Could Nobodies' feel? Could they feel it, but not understand it?

Either way, being a Nobody would seem rather frustrating. And without a heart you certainly can't have a conscious, how were they supposed to know any better? Maybe they did know better, but were just too desperate for an answer to care less. That was inexcusable, but from an unbiased point of view: completely and sadly understandable.

Then, there was Axel. He cared about someone. She didn't know who, but it came from his very lips. He was the one nobody she was sure had to have a heart. Or at least, remnants of one. An exception to Ansem's rule. Maybe it wasn't even his heart, but his will.

"Doing a little light reading?" teased Riku, sitting across from her in the intricately carved mahogany chair. She jumped a little bit, startled by his sudden presence. He had a knack for that; creeping to someone's side unannounced. Or maybe she was just so wrapped up in her own problems lately, she never noticed.

"Ugh, Riku. You've got to stop that, one day I might just have a heart attack."

"Let's hope not." he smiled, but his eyes told another story.

"Oh, um, Riku… well, you know, I should just pay attention more. I'm just so into this; discovering my past here." she sighed, propping her elbows on the table, then dropping her head dramatically into the palm of her hand. She grinned cheekily as she passed the large leather bound book towards him. As he chuckled his eyes brightened a little, too. _Mission accomplished._

That was her self-charged assignment these days; make Riku happy. It elated her to do so, so why not? He is her friend, and as a loyal friend, making him happy is practically her job.

"Don't worry, I understand. What's made you so interested all of a sudden, though? I remember when we were little; Sora and I asked you questions, but you always said it didn't matter."

Kairi smiled at the memories, "Well, if I don't find out anything it won't be the end of the world. But, being here? I guess it's just made me curious, that's all." she paused a moment before adding with a shake of her head, "It really doesn't matter."

"I think it matters. I'll help you find out _something_, even if I have to read every book in this library. And there are some pretty big books."

She grinned, "You swear?"

Riku laughed, "I pinky swear."

In a very dorky, childish moment that lasted longer than it should have, they locked pinkies. Both of them noticed the lull and awkwardly let go of each other's fingers. Kairi clapped her hands together before changing the subject, "So, did you find anything about Cid's Three Kingdom's?"

He cleared his throat but managed to choke out clumsily, "Um, no, not yet. Yeah, I'm starting to doubt whether his story is even real."

He glanced at the paper, scrutinizing its contents. "What is this?" he asked incredulously, perplexed. He lifted the book carefully (it was so old, mishandling it all might just break it) to sneak a peek at the cover. "Whose… _Yen Sid_?" He laughed, "Property of Yen Sid, in big letters across the cover. That's an interesting title."

Kairi smiled, "I thought so. The books full of magic spells, though. It's the coolest thing! And the name Yen Sid sounds awfully familiar." She shrugged, whipping through a few more pages.

"Hey, hey, hey. Be careful." he gasped, holding the pages down from Kairi's rampage. "You'll rip the pages!" He scolded, bringing it back towards himself to read. Kairi looked embarrassed, grabbing a second book atop her massive pile while Riku looked through the largest one. He skimmed through a passage called _The Beginning_, another called _The Interlude_ and finally, _The Future Story_, until coming across some usable information. "Kairi, look at this. Looks like we have a second reason to visit King Mickey."

She gave him a queer look before he spun the book around for her. She scanned the page and beamed at Mickey Mouse's signature garnishing the bottom of the aged paper. "Oh, wow. I wonder what he had to do with this book," she read a few notes on top of the next page out loud, "_I, Mickey Mouse, do hereby promise to use the magic I've developed under Yen Sid's teachings in only the most positive and honest way. Under no circumstances will I contribute to violence or magic malpractice. I also promise to never harass the brooms again, no matter how many buckets of mine they steal._" The two exchanged a dubious look and, because if Mickey Mouse washing floors and harassing brooms wasn't a ridiculous enough scenario, Kairi's expression was priceless --- they burst out laughing, their mirth filling the entire library.

* * *

"Hellooo Radiant Gardens!" chirped an ecstatic Sora, emerging triumphantly from his, Donald's, and Goofy's gummi ship. They'd upgraded just the month before and now it could charge through a meteor - ridden galaxy faster than you could blink your eyes, and then drive out the other side literally unscathed. Sora stretched his limbs, reaching left then right and accidently smacking Goofy square in the face. "Oh no, Goofy, I'm so sorry!" Goofy held his nose, squinting and hopping on one foot to relive the pain. "Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow." Sora gasped, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Let's go to Uncle Scrooge's shop and grab some ice!"

The trio sped forward until Goofy was lounging safely on the side walk curb with a pack of ice to his sore nose courtesy of Donald's Uncle. "Thanks Uncle Scrooge." bounced Donald, hopping in and out of the chilly refrigerator to fish out four sea - salt ice cream's, then distributed them to the group. It was nice to have a chilly snack on such a hot day. "Yeah, it means a lot. And again, sorry Goofy!" exclaimed Sora, spinning around to apologize to his partner once more. "Aw shucks, Sora. Don't worry about it."

Sora laughed, scratching the back of his head sheepishly with one hand, but said seriously, "Next time I'll watch where I stretch."

Donald chuckled, "Yeah, otherwise Kairi would be very disappointed." he wagged his forefinger back and forth to prove his point.

Sora looked disappointed, "Would she? Because I --- hey, why do you keep doing that?" He caught on quickly and folded his arms.

"Doing what?" Donald questioned innocently, holding up his palms as if to prove there were no tricks up his nonexistent sleeves. He and Goofy exchanged a glance and started chuckling knowingly.

Sora took an irritable lick of his sea – salt ice cream and when the pair didn't stop laughing, he took a big theatrical bite out of the ice cream, regretting it immediately at the immense brain freeze to follow.

"_Sea salt ice cream sure packs a punch, huh?"_  
Excuse me?  
"_The ice cream. It's strong."_  
Oh, I know… but who's there? Who's talking?  
"_What? You don't remember me?_  
Well… you sound familiar.  
"_I look familiar, too."_

Sora grabbed a hold of his head, the world squeezing in on his fragile skull ruthlessly.

But I can't see you.  
"_All in good time, my friend."_  
Can I know your name?  
"_You've really forgotten me already?"_  
Is this… Roxas?  
"_I'm going to need you to do something for me."_  
Like what?

"Well son, a brain freeze serves you right. Don't take your frustration out on the ice cream." Old Scrooge joked, patting Sora on the back. Sora pressed his palm to his throbbing forehead, trying to shake the voice into cooperation. He had never talked to Roxas before, not like this.

Roxas.  
"_Sora."_  
What is it you need?  
"_I'll tell you when you get there."_  
Get where?  
"_You'll see."_

The voice left Sora that final cryptic message before his brain freeze totally subsided. Sora blinked his eyes twice before focusing on a concerned looking Donald. "You okay, Sora?"

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine. Thanks Donald." When Goofy looked doubtful Sora smiled reassuringly. He was a little shaken by the unexpected session with Roxas, but otherwise perfectly fine. "Just an intense brain freeze." The three of them laughed and Sora took another, gentler, lick of his ice cream. It suddenly tasted a lot more familiar. "We should get back to the castle soon, though. And I want to ask Cid about some of the stuff we found. Gummi blocks are his forte after all. And the Moogles about that huuuge diamond! I wonder if we could synthesize something with it."

"It was really strange, though. The magic from that diamond was really strong; but completely harmless. Unusual. Veeery unusual." Donald explained. He wasn't usually taken aback by anything magic related, so not understanding the yellow diamond's magical properties irritated him to no end.

"I wonder what it was used for, then." Uncle Scrooge said, swinging around his cane like a baton. "I found a peculiar diamond once, except it was large and green. Emitted something strange, too. Unfortunately, it was confiscated by the King." he sighed. Not that it bothered old Uncle Scrooge much; he was one of the richest ducks around, with whole buildings full of gold. He used to be awfully greedy about his business earnings, but thanks to his three young nephews, gave half to charity and isn't afraid to spend the rest or share. _Material items_, he says, _is the devil's temptation. I was under its spell for a while, but four loving trouble makers made me realize what's truly important._ He's a big fan of preaching life lessons; and all of them useful.

"Confiscated by the King?" copied Goofy.  
"That sounds serious." commented Sora.  
"And odd." finished Donald, stroking his chin in thought.

"What else can you tell us about this green diamond?" Sora asked, getting comfortable on a nearby bench. The group followed and conversed under shade so graciously provided by the building's roof. Though this was all very interesting to Sora and he was determined to get to the bottom of this mystery, he couldn't and didn't want to get one thing --- one person --- off his mind.


End file.
